The Myanmar government has repeatedly demonstrated its unwillingness to restore citizenship to over a million Rohingya Muslims. Without citizenship, basic rights to security, property, and livelihood are effectively non-existent.
Rohingya refugees will not simply return to a situation in which their very lives are in jeopardy because of ethnic and religious hate that is directed at them. The legal guarantees and civil protections of citizenship must be part of any real repatriation agreement.
Burma Task Force is working diligently to apply the international pressure that will result in the restoration of citizenship for the Rohingya. By funding legal representation for Rohingya activists to bring Myanmar before a tribunal of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the government will be forced to recognize and answer for its crimes.
Since September 2017, Burma Task Force has been working closely with Rohingya survivors to record, translate, and archive their first-hand testimonies about the atrocities carried out against them. Collaborating with human rights lawyer Megan Hirst, BTF has made these testimonies the basis of the present case in the ICC.
In addition to advancing the prosecution of this case in the ICC, Burma Task Force is also pursuing litigation against Myanmar through the Principle of Universal Jurisdiction. Universal Jurisdiction allows victims of unconscionable international crimes can to redress against their oppressors, regardless of when or where such crimes have occured. Past Burmese heads of state who oversaw mass pogroms against the Rohingya can potentially be brought to justice under the aegis of Universal Jurisdiction.
Going forward, BTF will continue to pursue every possible route to justice for the Rohingya. Like the Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and their allies, who did not give up pursuing their oppressors until Eichmann was brought to trial, BTF will continue to spearhead the effort to bring Myanmar's war criminals to justice.
Rohingya refugees will not simply return to a situation in which their very lives are in jeopardy because of ethnic and religious hate that is directed at them. The legal guarantees and civil protections of citizenship must be part of any real repatriation agreement.
Burma Task Force is working diligently to apply the international pressure that will result in the restoration of citizenship for the Rohingya. By funding legal representation for Rohingya activists to bring Myanmar before a tribunal of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the government will be forced to recognize and answer for its crimes.
Since September 2017, Burma Task Force has been working closely with Rohingya survivors to record, translate, and archive their first-hand testimonies about the atrocities carried out against them. Collaborating with human rights lawyer Megan Hirst, BTF has made these testimonies the basis of the present case in the ICC.
In addition to advancing the prosecution of this case in the ICC, Burma Task Force is also pursuing litigation against Myanmar through the Principle of Universal Jurisdiction. Universal Jurisdiction allows victims of unconscionable international crimes can to redress against their oppressors, regardless of when or where such crimes have occured. Past Burmese heads of state who oversaw mass pogroms against the Rohingya can potentially be brought to justice under the aegis of Universal Jurisdiction.
Going forward, BTF will continue to pursue every possible route to justice for the Rohingya. Like the Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and their allies, who did not give up pursuing their oppressors until Eichmann was brought to trial, BTF will continue to spearhead the effort to bring Myanmar's war criminals to justice.
Legal Documents and Other Resources
Burma Task Force has initiated legal proceedings in the International Criminal Court to force a humane resolution to the Rohingya crisis. Here you can find the key legal documents of the ongoing case:
Observations on the Behalf of Victims of the Tula Toli Massacre
Information on Victims' Applications Received
CPIJ Amicus Request
ICJ Amicus Request
Decision on CPIJ Amicus Request
Decision on ICJ Amicus Request
Basic Facts About Universal Jurisdiction
Observations on the Behalf of Victims of the Tula Toli Massacre
Information on Victims' Applications Received
CPIJ Amicus Request
ICJ Amicus Request
Decision on CPIJ Amicus Request
Decision on ICJ Amicus Request
Basic Facts About Universal Jurisdiction